OK...here is the lowdown on Woolite. The original formula was in the vicinity of that which is supposed to be used on leather, but the formula has been changed and now the pH is right around 7.0. Remember the proper pH is supposed to be around 4.5. For example, the pH of The Townsend Leather/Leather Institute products are in the range of 4.5 to 5.5.
Woolite is formulated at around 7.0, which is also the pH of regular water...fine to be drank, but a little high to be used on leather. Now what I have been hearing is the dilution theory, that you can dilute the cleaner down 6:1 with water and then it can be used on leather.
Here are the two faults:
1. You are starting with a product that actually has an improper pH for leather, while it isn’t as bad as using some of the garbage out there, there are certainly better solutions.
2. The dilution... after adding all that water, you then have such a weak solution that you might as well be using water on the leather which we have already said is not good to use over the long term.
To sum it up, there are certainly better products you can use on your leather than Woolite, namely those made by companies that solely deal in leather. On the other side of the card, we have seen products that are said to be safe on leather that are actually worse than using Woolite.
For those of you who forgot what the importance of pH is, if the cleaner has too high of a pH, the leather fibers will actually start breaking away from one another as the protein bonds that hold them together weaken and you will eventually be able to tear your leather just like you would a piece of paper. We saw an example of this on an airline, within a month of using an improper pH cleaner a couple times a week, every seat had to be replaced as they were tearing apart everywhere, cost millions of dollars to replace. Obviously you won’t be cleaning your seats twice a week, but if you plan to keep you car for a few years this could definitely come into play. Especially since the cleaner can easily access the leather through the perforations.
My personal opinion:
For the little bit of cleaner you will need to do the seats of your much loved possesion, I would spring for the right products. These products really will never go bad so you can buy in larger quantities and get the bulk size discounts. Even just buying a quart of the right cleaner should last a couple years on your S. As for conditioner, you will use approximately 1/4 of the amount of cleaner you use as not much is necessary at all.
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